Signs of Love.
Valentine’s Day is coming up, and it’s time to think of giving a small token to the one you love. Hmmm. Who could that be? You!
Yes, you. Let’s face it; most people love themselves more than anyone else in the world. That’s not saying that you’re narcissistic (although … !), but it’s just how we’re wired.
So with that in mind, give yourself the gift of a better career. It certainly shows your love to you, and it will keep on giving, maybe for years to come.
How’s that? Somewhere around Valentine’s Day, take yourself to a networking event. Or show yourself some love by attending a professional webinar. Or make sure you know you care by ordering a book on a new fundraising technique.
You get the idea. Love yourself enough to actually do something for you. My guess is that others you love will love to see you do it.
Can You Withstand a Major Earthquake?
Thing are serious in Haiti. That’s the understatement of the year, I’m sure, but for a country that was known as the “Republic of NGO’s” for all of the international relief missions that served the people on a good day, the world went from very, very bad to unimaginably worse in a matter of seconds.
There are lots of lessons we can learn from Haiti. But a big one that comes to mind is one of preparedness. Are you ready for a career earthquake? Tremors may come with some frequency — a new boss, the loss of a key volunteer or maybe the illness of a significant donor — but “the big one” like the loss of a job or the illness of a close family member that impacts your time at work may only happen once in a great long while.
Like the Haitian people, we suffer and are frustrated by these earthquakes in our lives. Yet they are also times when others can demonstrate that they’re our true friends. The “relief” they bring won’t necessarily be in food, water and medical care, but it could be in coffee, counseling and connections. If you’re lucky, these friends will be around to help you rebuild your “career house” into the solid, earthquake resistant structure that never existed before.
The career task here? Line up your friends, now. Think of who you can support in their times of trouble and who can support you when “the big one” strikes. And maybe most of all, make sure that you have plenty of big, wide runways built now so that when you need the help, aid can get there quickly.
Marcia Found a Job!
I have some good news. Marcia found a job. So did Melanie. Great work, folks. Both notes came to me in the same week, and it was nice to see at least their economy turning around.
Marcia’s story tells us exactly what we should be doing when we’re “in transition.” Marcia, a former Wall Streeter who got out about a year before the crash, had successfully transitioned herself to be the director of development for a small social service nonprofit. But as these things go, she was cut when the boss decided that fundraising wasn’t “essential” in tight times (go figure). So Marcia developed her strategy for networking, which included speaking … and what do you know? At the end of a talk, a business card was thrust into her hand. It was the board chair of an organization looking for an executive director. Weeks later, Marcia became the executive director.
The lesson? In times like these sending resumes in response to advertisements is just the baseline. I’m not suggesting that you don’t do that, I’m saying that you need to go beyond that — and put yourself out there. Teach a class, speak at AFP. Write an article. Do the Chamber networking circuit. Drink lots of coffee at Starbucks with friends and colleagues. Do you need to do all of these? No, build your skills in one area at a time and expand as time moves on.
Who knows, Marcia may need to hire!
Did you get a new job or know someone who did? Pop me a note, and tell me how and I’ll share your story with your fellow readers.
Pay Your Dues
I was in a meeting of my local Association of Fundraising Professionals Membership Committee just the other day. Memberships are down. It’s easy to see why. Budgets are getting cut, and one of the first things to go are professional memberships, like AFP.
I’m disappointed, but I’m not surprised.
Getting a professional association membership paid is a nice perk. It means that your organization sees value in you and in your maintaining your expertise in the field. It also opens up a broad array of networking opportunities — which will help you and your organization stay sharp. But all of this is superfluous when it’s a choice between your membership and the next mailing going out, or the next homeless person’s meal.
So what’s the solution? Pay it yourself.
I can hear it now… “I can’t afford to pay it!” No, you can’t afford NOT to pay it! Professional memberships, and actively taking advantage of those memberships, is an important part of growing your career. It’s a significant investment in yourself. And just like you tell your volunteers, “if you don’t give to our organization how can you ask others to?” you need to ask yourself, “if I’m not willing to invest in my career, how can I ask others to?”
So get that application sheet out and sign up today. Put it on your credit card if you have to, and pay it off in a couple of installments. Yes, investing in your career is that important.
Increase Your Market Share
I took a college marketing class years ago. It was during one of our recessionary cycles, and so I remember talking a lot in class about how businesses can react to hard times — kind of like the times we face today. Among the nuggets of wisdom our professor imparted was that recessions are when businesses need to work for increased market share, not necessarily increased profits.
In fundraising terms, this means going for a larger number of donors, not necessarily higher giving totals. When times recover, those new, but smaller donors feel that they can increase their gifts — and that translates into much better giving totals. But how is this applied to job seekers?
I think that the best analogy is in your networking. No, you can’t pay your bills with a networking visit, but by increasing your network in the tough times, you multiply your opportunities when jobs become more plentiful — and that increased demand will lead to your next job, and maybe some money left over when the bills are paid.
So get out there and grab some market share during the tough times. Because when times turn and the hiring starts, you’ll be ready, and known.
